Contrasting presidential ground games, and fights over STAAR and vaccines

Donald Trump has a mostly invisible ground game in Texas, while Hillary Clinton has a visible one. A fight over whether Texas could be turning purple. A move is afoot to get rid of the controversial STAAR test in some districts, but would that be legal? And a fight over mandatory vaccines for school students appears to be ginning back up again.

Texas politics are never boring, and the intriguing highlights and these and other topics that have dominated headlines in recent days are explored in this week's Texas Take: The Podcast -- now the leading political podcast in the Lone Star State, with a Facebook Live post so you can see the show each week as it happens.

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 07: Matt Lauer looks on as democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the NBC News Commander-in-Chief Forum on September 7, 2016 in New York City. Hillary Clinton and republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are participating in the NBC News Commander-in-Chief Forum. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Go behind the headlines for a look at what's really going on in Texas politics. Join the conversation featuring the Chronicle’s Austin Bureau Chief Mike Ward and Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report, an acclaimed Texas political newsletter. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and give us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts. It helps! Thanks!